Strategizing Multinational Tax Risks

As time is of the essence for various OECD BEPS proposals to be made public, the interim time gap may be an excellent time to refresh global transfer pricing documentation strategies.  Several questions that may be addressed in a transparent and critique perspective include the following:

• Have each of the BEPS proposals been matched to current TP methodology, questioning the future state of global TP documentation?
• For current cooperative compliance relationships, is a discussion contemplated / scheduled to discuss the potential impacts of BEPS on the ongoing ways of working, including TP documentation?
• Are future cooperative compliance relationships in focus, aligned with BEPS initiatives, especially among countries seeking unilateral legislative actions re: General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) implementation, etc.?
• Are the attributes of a GAAR, including a taxpayer’s responsibility for GAAR compliance, being considered globally and /or in local country files?
• Should compliance roles and responsibilities of TP compliance change re: internal / external resources due to BEPS with additional complexities envisioned?
• If a Master File and Local Country file methodology is not currently in place, will there be a global and/or regional shift to such methodology?  What is the proposed timing for change?
• Are the local tax return disclosures re: TP aligned with that country’s TP documentation?
• What tax team / TP resources are being aligned to address the BEPS initiatives and proposed documentation?
• Are tax policy statements of the Tax Risk Framework being reviewed for desired TP transparency?
• Have there been “idea” meetings to discuss next steps in a creative atmosphere?

A BEPS / TP review will be valuable in aligning future vision, flexibility and transparency in today’s volatile atmosphere of TP assumptions and perceptions.